ON THE AGENDA: Twentynine Palms City Council Meeting, January 13, 2026
The first meeting of the year is a grab-bag of items that are mostly old business
The first City Council meeting of the year marks Daniel Mintz’s return as mayor and Octavious Scott’s debut as mayor pro tem, with agenda items ranging from development code updates, farmers market parking, septic outreach, regional appointments, and updates to the controversial fee-waiver policy for city facilities in the Consent Calendar. The agenda is linked here. The coverage of the last City Council meeting, held more than a month ago, is here.
PUBLIC COMMENT
You can comment on agenda items and issues important to you at every City Council meeting. Comments on agenda items take place during discussion of that item, while comments on non-agenda items take place near the end of the meeting. The Brown Act prevents Council from commenting on non-agenda items. To comment, just pick up a form at the entry desk, fill it out, and hand it to the Clerk, who usually sits just in front of the Council bench toward the right.
Here’s the list of Council email addresses to write if you can’t get to the meeting — be sure to email them prior to 2 pm on the date of the meeting so they have time to read your email prior to discussion. You can also copy the clerk at cvillescas@29palms.org and ask that your letter be made part of the public record.
Brewing on social media are questions as to whether ICE has access to the FLOCK cameras recently installed the San Bernardino County Sheriff. The cameras in question are located at the signal at Lear and Hwy 62. We took a look at the proposal for the license-plate cameras in our coverage of the December 10, 2024 City Council meeting.
AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, APPOINTMENTS AND PROCLAMATIONS
The Park and Recreation Department will update the City, and although the agenda doesn’t say what will be updated, the department will likely fill the Council in on its plans for 2026. Last year saw changes with the resignation of Community Services and Parks and Recreation Director Kary Minatrea, who by all accounts was a very effective leader. Haywood Adams is now leading the department with the title of Parks and Recreation Manager rather than Director.
CONSENT CALENDAR
The Consent Calendar consists of items usually approved with a single vote. The public is given a chance to make public comment on these items prior to the Council motion. Fill out a comment form specifying the item you wish to address and submit it in person or send an email in advance regarding any of the items on this meeting’s Consent Calendar.
Items 3-8. In addition to usually routine items such as approval of minutes of the last two City Council meetings as well as the warrant register, this meeting’s Consent Calendar includes renewal of the Memorandum of Understand with the Morongo Unified School Resource Officer. This officer responds to calls from school sites, issues CleanSWEEP citations, investigates incidents involving students, addresses truancy issues, and investigates graffiti.
The City seeks approval of an estimate from an environmental consultant to conduct a Mitigated Negative Declaration on the Desert Knoll tract, an expired 137-lot subdivision that is located east of Adobe Road.
Item 9. Updates to fee-waiver policy. At the November 12 City Council (our coverage is here) Haywood Adams reported that since the City updated its fee waiver policy in May 2024, it has forgone about $20,000 in facility rental revenue. While acknowledging the intent to support local organizations, Adams questioned the financial threshold and cited problems in execution, including last-minute cancellations without penalties, unpaid fees, and late insurance submissions that prevent facilities like Freedom Plaza gymnasium from being rebooked. City Staff proposed reducing annual fee waivers from three days to one, banning fiscal sponsorships, requiring non-refundable deposits, and denying waivers to groups convicted of crimes against or litigating with the City.
Public commenters Jonathan Hume and Karen Harper argued that reducing waivers would harm nonprofits and civic events, while Cindy Bernard read from an attorney-prepared letter that contended that denying waivers to litigants violates constitutional rights. Councilmembers debated compromises, supported an appeal process, and agreed to reduce waivers from three days to two, with a policy review in one year. The amended policy passed unanimously, 5–0.
The new policy is tucked into the Consent Calendar and is not open for discussion unless a Council member chooses to highlight it or a member of the public requests it. This written policy largely codifies and formalizes the issues debated earlier including penalizing individuals and nonprofits for using their constitutional right to seek redress in the courts for City actions by denying them fee waivers.
The written policy reflects many concerns raised earlier, especially by City staff, by setting clearer rules for fee waivers. It limits waivers to two City facilities per year, bans fiscal sponsorships, requires advance notice, and creates an appeal process through the City Council should a fee waiver be denied. These changes match the compromise Council discussed.
Item 10. Farmers Market Parking. Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution prohibiting public parking and authorizing the removal of vehicles parked within Farmer's Market area within the Freedom Plaza complex between the hours of 4 am and 3 pm each Saturday. This was decided at the December 9, 2025, meeting but the resolution was missing so an additional vote is needed.
Item 11. Septic Outreach. The City and Twentynine Palms Water District are launching ongoing outreach and education efforts to inform residents, businesses, and City Council about septic system care and groundwater protection. Because the community relies entirely on groundwater and lacks a centralized sewer system, proper septic maintenance is critical. The City and District are launching ongoing outreach and education efforts to inform residents, businesses, and City Council about septic system care and groundwater protection.
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PUBLIC HEARING
Item 12. Introduction of an Ordinance Creating Chapter 19.101 of the Development Code pertaining to Ancillary Activities.
Community Development Staff have received increasing requests for shared workspaces, expanded business services, and live entertainment events that are not clearly addressed by the City’s existing development code. This has been much discussed in Planning Commission and City Council meetings, including at the May 27 City Council meeting.
The code generally assumes each business operates independently, which has required new land use permits for shared or ancillary activities, creating barriers for small businesses. After studying the issue, the Planning Commission and City Council agreed the code should be updated to be more flexible and business friendly while maintaining public safety standards.
The proposed development code amendment attempts to establish clear rules for ancillary uses, ancillary commercial businesses, and live entertainment. Ancillary uses owned by the primary business would be allowed without additional permits if they do not increase intensity. Separate businesses operating within another business would be permitted under reduced review standards, provided they meet size, access, and operating hour limits. The amendment also distinguishes between ancillary live entertainment, full entertainment venues, and special events.
Rather than requiring a land use permit, ancillary live entertainment would be added through a licensing process tied to the business license, with annual renewals and enforcement penalties for violations. The changes aim to support economic development, encourage arts and entertainment, and reduce regulatory burdens while ensuring compliance with safety, noise, parking, and accessibility requirements.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
Item 13. City Council Regional Organizational Assignments. At this meeting, members of the City Council will be assigned to represent the City on various public agencies as board members, members of committees, or delegates. These include the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, the Desert/Mountain Division of the League of California Cities, and the San Bernardino County Solid Waste Task Force.
Item 14. Designation of a Delegate and Alternate Delegate for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Annual Regional Conference and General Assembly. The current delegates are Councilmember Ramirez as the primary delegate and Mayor Mintz as the alternate delegate.
Item 15. Protecting Environmental and Wildlife Health Around Freedom Plaza. The staff report on this item is unexpectedly poetic: “For as long as humans have lived and gathered, their consumption has led to waste. It was only after these concentrations became larger that our ancestors realized an inconvenient truth: trash is going to be a problem” (Rihn, 2021).1
The two existing trash enclosures consist of decorative cinderblock on three sides, an open pedestrian pathway, and two metal doors in the front. These enclosures help conceal the blight associated with storing trash storage prior to final removal. Unfortunately, the trash “enclosures” are not truly enclosed. The tops, sides, and pedestrian pathways are completely open. This open nature of the enclosures allows unfettered access by rats, mice, and ravens.
Staff seeks City Council support to obtain bids to fully enclose the two existing partially enclosed trash enclosures and build a standalone trash enclosure on the City-owned parking located on the west side of Tamarisk Ave.
FUTURE COUNCIL-INITIATED ITEMS
1. Discussion on maintained roads. Anticipated Council review January 27, 2026.
2. Shade structures around Freedom Plaza and a possible art fixture with "Freedom Plaza" announcing the location.
3. Discussion on partnering with the Boys and Girls Club.
4. Discussion of a policy regulating the use of City Attorney resources.
5. Parking in residential areas.
6. Discussion on creating a "Recognized Neighborhood Program."
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Japan’s Research Institute for Humanity and Nature